Clea Simon's Blog, page 24

Read “Remembrance”

When I first (tried to) duck out of reviewing “American Dirt,” I asked if I could try Rita Woods’ debut instead. My editor and I had talked about the two books before settling on “AD,” so it wasn’t a leap, and I was so glad to be able to review this. It’s a magical book – the kind you want to re-read as soon as you’ve finished it. Because my review ran in the Jan. 20 Sunday Boston Globe behind the paywall, I’m now sharing it here.

BOOK REVIEW

Rita Woods moves through history, memory, family, and dreams in stunning debut ‘Remembrance’ 

By Clea Simon Globe Correspondent,Updated January 20, 2020, 11:58 a.m.1

One of the most devastating and lasting impacts of slavery is the horrific toll it took on families, separating mothers from their children, spouses, and siblings. How appropriate, then, that family is at the core of “Remembrance,” the breathtaking debut novel by Rita Woods. In Woods’s epic, which centers on a sanctuary village on the Underground Railroad, family of choice — or of chance — supports and often supplements the blood ties that are threatened by institutional cruelty, determining everything from societal roles to survival.

“Remembrance” opens in the present day, with Gaelle, a young Haitian refugee, lost in a dream. She’s remembering her beloved grandmother, who died in the 2010 earthquake, and wakes to find herself in Cleveland, where she now lives and works as a nurse’s aide. As so many have before her, she has found safety in the north, but she is isolated, missing her sister Rose as well as her dead Grann. Only her friendship with another aide and her connection with an ancient and strangely nonverbal patient give her life meaning as she counts down the days until Rose, a student in California, can join her for Christmas.

The story of Abigail, as her enslavers have renamed her, brings the book back to the island of Haiti, right as the uprising of 1791 and its horrifically bloody repression are about to claim lives and send both free and enslaved people fleeing to Louisiana. When a brutal act of reprisal destroys what little joy Abigail had managed to salvage, she finds herself channeling memory and faith from Africa. The next time we see her, she has made her way to freedom, founding the town of Remembrance and adopting the orphaned Winter as her putative heir to be the town’s next leader and protector.

Abigail has chosen Winter, we come to realize, because, like herself and Gaelle, the young orphan has supernatural powers; she is able at times to see “the pieces that made up a thing” and shift them. However, while Abigail has used a similar capability to alter molecular structures to keep Remembrance safe and Gaelle knows only that her hands can transmit heat, Winter’s powers are erratic and undisciplined.

These powers — like the ability to heal or to foresee the future, which other characters exhibit — have become something of a trope in contemporary fiction by African-American authors. As Ta-Nehisi Coates did in “The Water Dancer,” Woods weaves her magic into realistic descriptions seamlessly, almost as if they were emotional projections made real. (Before Coates, of course, Octavia Butler wrote masterful magical fantasy often focused on women, and both Colson Whitehead and Esi Edugyan have worked implausible, if not impossible, technologies into their flights to freedom.) But while Coates has traced his use of the supernatural to African-American myth and slave narratives — referencing faith and desperation made flesh — Woods’s magic stems largely from African and voudon traditions, drawing on the Haitian religion’s system of loas, intermediaries or saints. Abigail, for example, frequently invokes Babalawa, a take on a Yoruban priest or oracle, while the apparently ageless Josiah appears in all the narratives with his “tobacco-sweet breath,” suggesting the loa Papa Legba. He is, Margot realizes, “[n]ot good. Not evil. Just there. The way the copperhead snakes that lived in the bayous of Louisiana were neither good nor evil, but deadly all the same, as was their nature.”

None of this deft syncretism would matter were it not in the service of a grand tale. With a few striking exceptions, Woods does not dwell on the greater atrocities of slavery — the increasing lightness of each generation’s skin says enough — focusing instead on the everyday trials that bring these strong female characters to life. By the time of the book’s climax, when a young mother faces the loss of her babies, all the preceding centuries of grief and rage come through, as do the love and commitment these newfound families have forged. That’s a kind of magic that merits rereading, summoning realities that still have repercussions today.

REMEMBRANCE

By Rita Woods

Forge, 416 pp., $27.99

Clea Simon’s most recent novel is “ An Incantation of Cats .” She can be reached at  www.cleasimon.com

Five Questions with Shawn Cosby

I first heard of Shawn Cosby when he won an Anthony for his short story “The Grass Beneath My Feet,” at last year’s Bouchercon. I mean, the first line alone slayed me: “Anyone who tell you that they don’t mind going to jail is a goddamned liar.” That led me to his debut novel, My Darkest Prayer, which follows one man’s descent into a particular small-town hell. So I shouldn’t have been surprised, then, when the wild praise for his upcoming (July 2020) novel, Blacktop Wasteland, started rolling in – blurbs from Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, and so many others known for gritty fiction. On the off chance you haven’t met Shawn – aka S.A. Cosby – yet, I’m thrilled to introduce him here today.

How does a book start for you?

A book starts for me with the old “what would happen if..” refrain. Something sparks my interest and I try to guess what would happen next. What would happen if a drag racer was also a bank robber? Then I play around with the idea and see where it goes..

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

I think the character of Jenny. She is a minor side character not really a femme fatale but more like a means to an end. At least at first. But as the story went on she shows deep reservoirs of strength even I didn’t know she had.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

My latest book Blacktop Wasteland is set in the fictional town of Red Hill Va. Its basically my hometown of Mathews wearing a harlequin mask.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on a revenge novel tentatively titled RAZORBLADE TEARS. It’s about two fathers one black one white both ex-cons who seek to avenge the murders of their sons who were in a relationship and killed in an apparent hate crime.

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

Hmmm how do you find the time to write lol . The secret is …. No one knows the secret .

me neither, and yet… (thanks, Shawn).

S..A. Cosby is an Anthony award winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines His story “Slant-Six” was selected as a Distinguished Story in Best American MysteryStories for 2016.. His short story “The Grass Beneath My Feet” won the Anthony award for best short story in 2019
His writing has been called ” gritty and heartbreaking ” and ” dark, thrilling and tragic “. His style and tone is influenced by his varied life experiences which includes but are not limited to being a bouncer, construction worker, retail manager and for six hours a mascot for a major fast food chain inside the world’s hottest costume. When he isn’t crafting tales of murder and mayhem he assists the dedicated staff at J.K.Redmind Funeral home as a mortician’s assistant. He is also known as one hell of a chess player…
Actually its checkers, he’s good at checkers.

“Gentle humor permeates this novel…”

“Clea Simon stays very true to cat psychology throughout these books despite their fantastic premise. In fact, a large part of the series’ charm comes from the cats and their idiosyncratic view of Becca’s doings. Humans are portrayed with no less affection: it’s pretty great when Becca’s human friends come into the picture, and especially the other members of her coven. When the coven and the cats come together, the results embody the kind of gentle humor that permeates this novel, lightening the darkness of murder and associated crimes…

The second installment of the Witch Cats Of Cambridge Series builds on the first to deepen its mythology as well as expand on Becca’s life in contemporary Massachusetts. I very much enjoyed the gradual yet assured world-building, as Clara and her sisters do their best to keep their person out of trouble, even if she will insist on solving murders. It’s a sweet fantasy of magical cats helping to find out whodunnit that’s perfect for a few hours of cozy escapism.”

So says the CRIMINAL ELEMENT review of AN INCANTATION OF CATS https://www.cleasimon.com/book/an-incantation-of-cats/by Doreen Sheridan. Read the full review here: https://www.criminalelement.com/book-...

Five Questions with Jeannnette de Beauvoir

Provincetown, on the very tip of Cape Cod, is a magical place. Part summer resort, part arts colony, this diverse and very LGBTQIA+ friendly village still shows its roots in the Portuguese- American fishing community too. And while I’m one of the thousands who fill its beaches and restaurants each summer, I love visiting in the off-season too. And when I can’t get physically across Cape Cod Bay? That’s when I turn to Jeannette de Beauvoir’s mysteries!

How does a book start for you?

With a spark of some kind. I was doing research in Montréal and came across a list of names associated with a graveyard, and realized they were all children. Asking how that could happen provided the spark that everntually became my novel ASYLUM. Another time, the curator at the local museum called me in to show me some Civil War-era shoes discovered in the wall of a home during renovation; that inspired my book THE DEADLIEST BLESSING. Once I have that kernel, that spark, I build around it. The plot always falls into place after that.

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

My protagonist’s boyfriend, Ali. He’s actually *not* in this book, he’s off doing undercover work, and what’s surprised me is how much I miss him. I was a little surprised when they got together in the first book, and have always seen him somewhat as a “throwaway” character—just Sydney’s boyfriend. I even once contemplated killing him. But he’s become more and more important to me, not least because he’s Muslim—he can be that “Muslim friend” that some readers might not get to have in real life, and perhaps destroy some stereotypes and assumptions.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

It’s in Provincetown; this whole series is in Provincetown. Most of my mysteries take place in the present but are influenced by something from the past—old secrets resurfacing, that sort of thing. A FATAL FOLLY starts with a treasure hunt for a second wreck from pirate Black Sam Bellamy’s fleet, but quickly turns to a local unsolved crime… *and* more danger for my protagonist, Sydney Riley. All this against the backdrop of Holly Folly, Provincetown’s winter holiday extravaganza.

Provincetown is a lot of fun to write about. It’s diverse, it’s beautiful, and it attracts a lot of misfits, the kind of people willing to live out at Land’s End, the very tip of the continent. That makes for some dark secrets… and a lot of material for a novelist! Each book takes place during one of Provincetown’s famous “theme weeks,” which serve as context and often as part of the plot.

What are you working on now?

I have two projects going. I’m working on a book called THE MATINEE MURDERS, the next in the Sydney Riley Provincetown series (its backdrop is the Provincetown International Film Festival), due out next spring. And I’m also launching a new series—I hope—with a protagonist who’s a linguist. I love words so much, I thought that would be a perfect match!

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

“Should” is a loaded word… I guess something about how I feel about writing? I’m just grateful to all my readers, all the people who trust me enough to give me precious hours of their time and thought. I hope my stories are worthy of that.

Award-winning author Jeannette de Beauvoir writes mystery and historical fiction (or a combination thereof!) that’s been translated into 12 languages. A Booksense Book-of-the-Year finalist, she’s a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the National Writers Union. 

All her novels are firmly rooted in a sense of place, and her delight is to find characters true to the spaces in which they live. She herself lives and writes in a cottage in Provincetown, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and loves the collection of people who assemble at a place like land’s end. 

The Sydney Riley Provincetown mystery series is in its sixth installment on June 5 with the release of The Matinée Murders.

Find out more—and read her blog—at her  website . You can also find her on  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Patreon ,  Amazon , and  Goodreads .

How Clara came to be a calico…

Clara was supposed to be a tortoiseshell. Although, Clara – the heart, if not exactly the heroine – of my new cozy cat mystery An Incantation of Cats is now a calico, she was a tortie through at least two drafts of A Spell of Murder, the first book in the “Witch Cats of Cambridge” series, largely due to ,,,

Read the full explanation of how Clara came to be here, at the Conscious Cat, a wonderful blog covering all things feline that you can find (and subscribe to) over at http://www.consciouscat.net

PS – the Facebook group A Novel Bee is doing a giveaway for a copy of An Incantation of Cats over here.

It’s “Incantation” Day!

An Incantation of Cats is out today! So thrilled – and I hope you will celebrate with me.

“Simon expertly casts suspicion on one member of her tiny human cast after another … for readers who want all cats, all the time.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Cat lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted,” – Booklist

“This was an enjoyable, fast-paced and well-written drama that quickly became a page-turner, as I could not put the book down.” – Dru’s Book Musings

When two new clients seek Becca’s professional services, the fledgling witch detective is overjoyed. Finally, she can use her skills to help her magical community. But as the young witch finds the new cases intertwining, things grow more complicated. Becca’s three cats – the ones with the real power – can smell something is wrong with these clients. But not even Clara, the calico, knows what to do when a man ends up dead and a powerful and poisonous root appears – and disappears – in the case. To make matters worse, Clara and her littermates are feuding – and she can’t tell them about an unsettling interaction she’s had with one of the client’s sisters. Is it possible that some humans may have the same powers as the magical felines? What does that mean for Clara’s beloved Becca – and for the potent poison that has already taken one person’s life? In this second Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, Clara and her sisters must learn to work together if they are to save the person they all love.

Five Questions with Clea Simon

After grilling dozens of authors, it’s only fair I answer my own questions, right? And with my new An Incantation of Cats (Polis Books) out tomorrow, now is as good a time as any. This is the second in my “Witch Cats of Cambridge” cozy series, so expect the return of Becca, a would-be human witch, and the three magical cats who love her.

How does a book start for you?

May I be evasive about my own question? I kind of have to be, because the truth is, it changes from book to book. Often (as with my very first mystery, Mew is for Murder) I see a problem I want to write about (in that case, I realized that if a cat hoarder were killed, there would be so many subjects – and also that I’d want to re-home all her cats). With An Incantation of Cats, I was more involved with the characters. I’d introduced them in the previous book, https://www.cleasimon.com/book/a-spel... A Spell of Murder, and I really wanted them to grow. In particular, I wanted the cats Harriet and Laurel to show that they multifaceted characters and I very much wanted to deepen their relationship with their littermate Clara. I also wanted to explore the friendship between my human protagonist Becca and her skeptical bestie Maddy.

Who in your latest book has surprised you most – and why?

All these secondary characters – they really came through for me! I found a deep well of love in Maddy, Harriet, and Laurel that I didn’t entirely expect. I mean, they all stay true to their characters – Harriet, in particular, remains quite imperious – but they showed a sweetness and depth of feeling that was quite wonderful to me.

When and/or where is your latest book set and is there a story behind that setting?

It is set, like its predecessor, in Cambridge, Massachusetts -– the formerly funky college town where I lived for many years (I’m now right next door in Somerville, Mass.). Even though Cambridge has become increasingly gentrified (“luxury condos” are now the standard), it still has that counterculture edge – so, yes, I could easily imagine a coven of witches hanging a sign in the local laundromat looking for prospective members. In fact, I briefly attended a Wiccan circle that met right in Harvard Square in the Unitarian Universalist church. (Yeah, that last sentence pretty much sums up Cambridge in a nutshell.)

What are you working on now?

Another witch cat book! I adore these characters and want to see how much further they can go. Of course, I also have some other projects in the works … including some non-cozies.

The real brains behind the books… Thisbe!

Which question didn’t I ask you that I should have?

“Why haven’t you written Thisbe into a book yet?” At least, that’s what she’s been asking, when she isn’t napping in her basket. The only answer I have is that there are still books to come…

The author of more than two dozen cozy/amateur sleuth mysteries featuring cats, three nonfiction books, and one punk rock urban noir, World Enough (Severn House), Clea Simon likes to keep busy. The Boston Globe best-selling author’s most recent mysteries range from the dark black-cat narrated Cross My Path (Severn House) (Blackie & Care mystery #3) and the snarky pet noir Fear on Four Paws (Poisoned Pen) (Pru Marlowe #7) to the cozy An Incantation of Cats (Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery #2). Clea lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband and one cat. She can be reached at www.cleasimon.com

Booklist “enchanted” by INCANTATION

“Cat lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted,” says Booklist about AN INCANTATION OF CATS. I am overjoyed!

Full review as follows:

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Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof

Issue: December 15, 2019

An Incantation of Cats.

By Clea Simon

Jan. 2020. 288p. Polis, $26 (9781947993808)

Laurel, Harriet, and Clara are littermates, part of a long line of magical felines. They live with Becca Colvin in Cambridge, Massachusetts, assisting in her work as a witch detective, each cat using her own special powers. Clara, the youngest, has the power to shade herself into invisibility and is thus able to follow Becca around town. The day two women seek Becca’s assistance, the cats’ whiskers tingle. Gaia is convinced someone wants to poison her and produces as evidence a root that she believes to be wolfsbane, or aconite, which is highly toxic. Margaret, owner of the Charm and Cherish shop where Gaia works, is convinced that Gaia is stealing from her. Becca learns that Margaret’s husband, Frank, who is planning to leave her, has stolen her jewelry. Then Frank is found dead, and the police suspect poisoning. Becca (and Clara) crisscross Cambridge trying to piece things together, with Clara summoning assistance from her sisters, particularly Laurel, who has the power of suggestion. The cats are the real stars, working hard to protect their human companion. Cat-lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted by the feline trio.

— Karen Muller

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Don’t kill the cat!

Ever! Of course, you know that. But I shared other tips for writing mysteries with animal characters earlier this week over at the wonderful Career Authors blog.

Don’t Kill the Cat! And Other Secrets to Writing about Animals

Posted by Our Special Guest | Jan 8, 2020 | Craft

I love cooking, but I’m known for my stews and soups rather than my baked goods. Maybe that’s because I’m an improviser by heart. I don’t like following recipes and, as a writer, I’m deeply suspicious of anything that smells like a formula. So I’m not going to try to tell you how to pen a mystery with an animal in it. In truth, although roughly 25 of my books feature some kind of four-legged character (usually a cat), I don’t have a basic outline for how to do it. Each time is starting from scratch. However, as I begin to write a third “Witch Cat of Cambridge” cozy – and celebrate the release of An Incantation of Cats (Polis), the second in the series – I do recognize that I’ve learned a few things about mysteries with animals in them.

Know your beast 

Whether you are writing a pet cozy or a full-on animal fantasy (a la Watership Down or The Wind in the Willows), it is vital that you understand the creatures you want to depict. Yes, you are creating a work of fiction, and, no, in the real world, no animal character wears pants or drives a car (Mr. Toad, anyone?). And, yes, of course, you want your book to have a general appeal, reaching beyond simply kitten-smitten animal lovers or the allergic (or lease-constrained) pet deprived. However, a core group of those who read any book with an animal in it will know (and love) that animal. Writing a cat who doesn’t wash or get distracted by a hanging string will be a dead giveaway that you’ve never cohabited with one.

Research your animal as you would your poisons and clues.

Spend time with a neighbor’s pet or visit a shelter. And, please, ask questions about why the animal is acting a certain way – and what it might do if frightened, angry, possessive, or alarmed. You don’t have to be a behaviorist, but get the basic character right, or risk hisses and snarls.

Engage the animal

Animals are more than window dressing. They have to be, to please the animal-loving reader. Sure, having a cat on the cover is going to help your cozy sell. But if Fluffy is barely present in the story, you’re going to lose a potential series fan when s/he reaches page 200 with barely a mention of that furry sprite. I know this is sometimes beyond authors. Too often publishers use the pet trope to signal cozy, without thinking of what this promises to the animal lover. That means authors need to be especially aware of the feeling of betrayal a misleading cover can cause. Either reason with your publisher or write Fluffy into the plot. Surely, your protagonist needs someone to talk over all those clues with.

Any animal can be cute

Yes, cats and dogs are the leading mystery sidekicks (or sleuths on their own), with both rescues and even various breeds launching series. But plenty of mysteries have been set around horses, birds, even anteaters (thank you, Betty Webb and Donna Andrews!). The key is that you, the author, feel affection or at least sympathy for the wee beastie (and see Rule #2, above). Hey, if I could spend time with a ferret and find his agile little hands fascinating, you can too.  Has there been a hamster cozy? Why not?

Read your peers

Most of us got it this because we grew up reading Lillian Jackson Braun or we fell for Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pete mysteries. But have you kept up with what Shirley Rouseau Jackson or Susan Conant are doing? Shannon Esposito or Linda O. Johnston? Amy Shojai? Carole Nelson Douglas? Liz Mugavero? Peter Abrahams? Diane Stuckart? Writers are constantly expanding the genre, working out different relationships and roles. If you don’t read it, why are you writing it?

Respect the genre

If I never hear another dismissive comment – “oh, you write cat mysteries” – I will die content. But I know I’ve been guilty of it myself, apologizing in advance for my particular niche, usually with a wincing smile. I wouldn’t accept that from writers of any other subgenre – thrillers, noir, cooking cozies, or whatever. I know that it takes just as much skill and dedication to craft something that seems sweet and frothy as it does dark or heavy. You know that old saw about Ginger Rogers? That she did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in heels? That’s us, folks. Or, to quote W.B. Yeats, “a line will take us hours maybe, but if it seems more than a moment’s thought, our stitching and unstitching is for naught.” Don’t be like me, folks, and I promise to do better myself. Yes, I write cat cozies! Sometimes the kitty is the sleuth. Deal with it!

Don’t limit yourself to cozies

Paula Munier’s psychological suspense feature dogs, and my own Blackie and Care series is dystopian and dark. Sure, most animal mysteries tend toward the cozy. But they don’t have to. Animals have adventures and lives beyond being our pets, and those of us who grew up on the Walter Farley Black Stallion books or Jack London’s White Fang are surely ready for a new, adult alternative. Maybe you’re dreaming of a wolf protagonist who has to kill or be killed. Hmmmm… I’d want to read that. Wouldn’t you?

Never, ever kill or seriously hurt an animal

Silly? Yeah. Sentimental, sure. But this truly is an iron-clad rule. I read across the spectrum – and I love my noir very dark and bitter. But I was enjoying a popular author’s historical mystery when he killed a character’s cat. The move made sense – the villain was implicitly threatening the character. The writing was lovely, and the violence wasn’t graphic. Didn’t matter. I put the book down and have not picked up another by that author. Don’t be that author. Don’t kill the cat.

Do you have animals in your novels? What are your secrets to making them real? And when you read about animals, what mistakes drive you crazy? Let’s talk about our four legged and feathered friends on the Career Authors Facebook Page.

This blog post ran on Jan. 8. 2020, at Career Authors.

“I could not put the book down…”

Review of An Incantation of Cats posted today on the MWA Raven Award-winning book blog Dru’s Book Musings:

“This was an enjoyable, fast-paced and well-written drama that quickly became a page-turner, as I could not put the book down. The heart of this story is told from the perspective of the felines, who if I didn’t know, acted just like their human counterparts. The mystery was nicely executed with a few surprises and twists that enhanced my reading pleasure. All in all, a good and exciting read that kept me engaged throughout.”

Read the full post here.